Spring Flowers

April 1861 – November 1862

Military service in Algeria

Monet enlisted in the 1st Regiment of African Light Cavalry (Chasseurs d'Afrique) and arrived in Algeria in June 1861. In spring 1862 he contracted typhoid; his aunt bought him out of the army. The light and colors of North Africa, in his words, "contained the germ of my future researches."

summer 1862

Meeting Jongkind

While working near Cape La Hève in the summer of 1862, Monet met and befriended the Dutch painter Johan Jongkind, who alongside Boudin became an important mentor to him.

December 1862

Gleyre's studio: Renoir, Sisley, Bazille

Back in Paris, Monet entered the studio of Charles Gleyre, where he met Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley and Frédéric Bazille — the future core of the Impressionist group. Bazille became his closest friend.

1865

Salon debut

Monet made his Salon debut with the paintings "Cape La Hève at Low Tide" and "The Mouth of the Seine at Honfleur," which met with great approval.